Getting cosmetics manufactured: a guide to contract manufacturing, white label and personalized skincare

Reviewed by Dr. Daniel Wallerstorfer, molecular biologist and founder of Novogenia · Updated: 13 October 2026 · Reading time: 9 min

In short

Your own skincare line does not require your own lab or your own production. There are three routes: you resell the personalized BeautyMe skincare, you launch a proven base formulation as white label under your brand, or you develop your own formula – which takes 3 to 5 months at Novogenia. All routes lead to the same three products: day serum, night serum and body lotion, from small batches and made in Austria. Personalization works through genes: the result of a genetic analysis changes which ingredients go into the formula and at what dosage. In the EU, the Cosmetics Regulation applies: every product needs a responsible person, a safety assessment, a product information file and a notification before it goes on the market. This guide walks you through every step.

Half genes, half everyday life: what twins reveal about skin

Why do some people look younger than they are – and others older? Researchers explored this question with a clever method. They studied the faces of 102 pairs of female twins from Denmark aged 59 to 81, plus 162 women from the UK aged 45 to 75. Twins are a stroke of luck for questions like this: because they share all or part of their genes, researchers can estimate how much comes down to genes and how much to life.

The result: skin wrinkles, gray hair and lip height were each independently linked to how old a woman looked. And for wrinkles, pigmented age spots and visible sun damage, genes and environment played roughly equal roles (Gunn et al., PLoS One 2009).

Think of skin as a garden. Everyone brings their own soil – their genes. How it is watered and fed is up to everyday life: sun, lifestyle and skincare. The logical conclusion: if you know your soil, you can care for it more precisely. That is exactly the idea behind personalized cosmetics.

I am a molecular biologist and the founder of Novogenia. In our building in Eugendorf near Salzburg, Austria, a genetic lab, a supplement factory and a cosmetics factory sit under one roof. That is how a saliva sample becomes a finished, personalized skincare product without ever leaving the company or the EU. With this guide, I want to show you how to turn this into your own skincare line – whether you are a brand, a beauty studio, a spa, a pharmacy or a sales partner.

Three routes to your own skincare line

The first question is not “Which serum?” but: how much of it should really be yours? Time, effort and independence all depend on the answer. At Novogenia, you have three routes:

Route	What you get	Fits
Resell BeautyMe	Novogenia’s personalized skincare, formulated for your client after the genetic analysis. No lab, no production, no startup costs.	Beauty studios, spas, hotels and pharmacies looking for a ready-made offer
White label	A proven base formulation, filled under your brand – with your logo, your label and your packaging. Novogenia does not appear as a brand. Personalized on request.	Studios, retailers and brands that want their own line quickly
Your own formula	An individual formula built from your idea or your active-ingredient wishes, implemented correctly in terms of galenics and regulation. Development takes 3 to 5 months.	Brands with their own concept that want to stand out through the product itself

All three routes lead to the same three products: day serum, night serum and body lotion. And they are not mutually exclusive. Many brands start quickly with white label and develop their own signature formula as a flagship in parallel. How to find the right route is covered in White label, private label or your own formula?; the process from idea to launch is described in How to get cosmetics manufactured.

There is a fourth way in for companies that already hold genetic data, such as genetic testing providers. Where the raw data are usable, we interpret them directly and move straight to the formula. You keep the data and the customer relationship. More on the Personalized cosmetics from genetic data page.

Personalized cosmetics: what genes change

At Novogenia, personalized means: the result of the genetic analysis changes two things – which ingredients go into the formula and at what dosage. The analysis reads genes on skincare topics that matter for the skin:

Collagen: how fast the body breaks down collagen (MMP1) and how it builds it.
UV protection: the skin’s natural UV protection (MC1R). Skincare does not replace sun protection.
Hydration: how well the skin holds on to moisture.
Oxidative stress: how well the body’s own defense against free radicals works (SOD2, GPX1, NQO1), plus coenzyme Q10 and selenium.
Inflammation tendency: how strongly the body tends toward inflammatory reactions (TNF-α, IL6).

The starting point is a saliva sample, which we analyze in our own lab in Austria – or genetic data that a partner already holds. The interpretation follows a rule set built on more than 30 genetic tests. Every gene we include is backed by at least three independent studies. The formula we derive from it is a logical conclusion from the genetic profile – not a promise of cure. Genes are one factor among many.

How a genetic profile becomes a formula is explained in Personalized cosmetics. What research knows about individual topics is shown in the gene stories on collagen breakdown, oxidative stress and skin hydration, and in the chapter Skin and genes.

Quality and law: what a serum needs before launch

A good formula alone does not put a serum on the shelf. In the EU, Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 defines what a cosmetic product is and what it needs before it can be sold. According to Article 2, cosmetics are meant to clean, perfume, change the appearance of, protect or keep in good condition the skin, hair or teeth, or to correct body odors. Healing is not on that list. The key obligations follow from this:

Responsible person (Art. 4): a product may only be placed on the market if a responsible person established in the EU has been designated. At Novogenia, we take on this role.
Safety assessment (Art. 10): before launch, a qualified expert assesses safety; the result is recorded in the safety report.
Product information file (Art. 11): it brings together the description, the safety report and the manufacturing method, among other things, and is kept for ten years after the last batch.
Notification (Art. 13): before launch, the product is notified electronically through the European Commission’s Cosmetic Products Notification Portal (CPNP).
Good manufacturing practice (Art. 8): compliance is presumed when manufacturing follows the harmonized standard – that is ISO 22716. Our cosmetics production is certified to it by Quality Austria.
Product claims (Art. 20): a product must not imply characteristics it does not have. Regulation (EU) No 655/2013 sets six common criteria for this, from truthfulness to evidential support.

In Switzerland, the EU regulation does not apply; the rules are set by the Ordinance of the Federal Department of Home Affairs on cosmetic products (VKos). There, too, every cosmetic product needs a product information file with a safety report prepared by a qualified expert. Good manufacturing practice likewise corresponds to ISO 22716; Swiss law does not require certification for it (FSVO). The EU notification via the CPNP concerns the EU market; for Switzerland, the obligations of the VKos apply.

You will find the details in Chapter 3: Quality to ISO 22716, Responsible person, safety assessment, notification, Labeling and Advertising cosmetics.

Who this guide is written for

This guide is for businesses that want to sell cosmetics under their own name or as part of their offer:

Cosmetics brands and founders: you want your own skincare line without building a factory. Start with How to get cosmetics manufactured.
Beauty studios: day serum, night serum and body lotion under your studio brand, or BeautyMe for resale (Offer for beauty studios).
Spas and wellness hotels: the saliva sample takes only a few minutes; the skincare is available as a takeaway or by subscription after the stay (Spa & wellness, Wellness hotels).
Pharmacies and practices: a high-quality skincare line that is easy to explain in a consultation.
Sales partners and online retailers: a skincare line with a real story, under your own brand or as a finished product.
Data partners: companies with their own genetic data that want to offer their customers a matching follow-up product.

If you want to offer nutrients from the inside alongside skincare from the outside, you get both from one source. How they fit together is shown in Combining cosmetics and supplements.

All chapters at a glance

How to get cosmetics manufacturedFrom idea to launch in six steps. White label or your own formula?Three routes compared – and how to choose. Small batches, quantities and timelineStart small, plan carefully, grow with your client base. Personalized cosmeticsHow genes shape the choice and dosage of ingredients. Skin and genesCollagen, hydration, antioxidant defense: what research shows. Day serum, night serum, body lotionThe three products and what they are designed for. Quality to ISO 22716Good manufacturing practice for cosmetics, clearly explained. Responsible personSafety assessment, product information file and notification. Labeling cosmeticsAll mandatory information on label and packaging. Advertising cosmeticsWhich statements are allowed – and which are not. Selling cosmeticsStudio, spa, pharmacy or online shop. Cosmetics and supplementsCombining skincare from the outside with nutrients from the inside.

All 12 articles are also listed by chapter at the end of this page.

How we do it at Novogenia

What you can expect from Novogenia:

Everything under one roof: a genetic lab, a supplement factory and a cosmetics factory in one building in Eugendorf near Salzburg, Austria. A saliva sample becomes a finished, personalized product without ever leaving the company or the EU.
Three products: day serum, night serum and body lotion – formulated and filled in-house, made in Austria.
Three partner models: resell BeautyMe, white label under your brand, or your own formula (development takes 3 to 5 months). Data partners can bring their own genetic data.
Responsible person: Novogenia takes on the role of the responsible person under the EU Cosmetics Regulation.
Quality: ISO 22716 (good manufacturing practice for cosmetics), certified by Quality Austria; plus ISO 9001:2015 (No. 14365/0) and ISO 22000:2018 (No. 00521/0), also Quality Austria. Certificates are available on request.
Our own lab: analysis in 4 days in Austria, reports in up to 18 languages; more than 30 million people analyzed so far.
Partners only: Novogenia sells exclusively through partners.

Frequently asked questions

What is cosmetics contract manufacturing?

A specialized manufacturer develops, produces and fills cosmetics for your brand. You need neither your own lab nor your own production. At Novogenia, this covers a day serum, a night serum and a body lotion – as white label on a proven base formulation or as your own formula, personalized on request after a genetic analysis.

Which cosmetic products does Novogenia make?

Three: a day serum, a night serum and a body lotion. This applies to every partner model, including your own formula. Novogenia does not make other formats.

How long does it take to launch my own skincare line?

That depends on the route. If you resell BeautyMe, there is no development phase. White label is the fastest route to your own brand, because the base formulation is already proven. Developing your own formula takes 3 to 5 months. The exact lead time is part of the quote.

Is there a minimum order quantity?

Novogenia produces cosmetics from small batches. You can start small, check a trial batch first on request and scale up later as your client base grows. Volume tiers and lead times are part of the quote.

Who is responsible for the safety of my cosmetics?

In the EU, a cosmetic product may only be placed on the market if a responsible person established in the EU has been designated. Among other things, this person ensures the safety assessment, the product information file and the notification before launch. Novogenia takes on this role.

Planning your own cosmetics line?

Tell us about your brand, studio or practice – we will show you which route fits.

Request a project →Discover BeautyMe

Note: This guide is general information for businesses and professionals and does not replace legal advice. BeautyMe products are cosmetic products; statements in this guide are not promises of cure. The genetic traits determined in a genetic analysis are well documented (each gene included is backed by at least three independent studies); recommendations for skincare and formulation derived from them are logical conclusions, not scientifically proven. Regulations can change; errors and changes excepted.